Recently, and from time to time, I see a post about infant baptism on Ligonier Ministries website. The latest is here. While Ligonier Ministries is regularly a help and highly recommended, when they go this way it really is a muddy interpretation.

The argument for infant baptism also called paedo-baptism is combative, making Baptists out to be ignorant and Presbyterians to be superior in theology. For example, in the aforementioned article the author writes,

“Unfortunately, we live in a time of great biblical illiteracy. There is much confusion about what the Bible says about everything from the nature of God to a biblical understanding of man, and yes, even baptism. With so much confusion, it is important that we look at what baptism is in order to understand why it matters and how it is indispensable to the Christian.”

We would agree that baptism is important, and that there is some level of confusion about the Bible in our world.1 However, when baptism is included here, it pins the church against each other. We are certainly not confused about Baptism. It is a positive ordinance of our Lord originating in the New Testament and directly connected to faith. It couldn’t be more clear that there is “one baptism” and thus to teach a doctrine of baptism departing from the ordinance of Christ commissioning the church to the baptism of disciples who are made through Gospel preaching is a departure from Christian teaching. It does not unify followers of Christ to teach a different doctrine.

It is not illiterate to follow the teachings of Christ including his clear commands on the two ordinances of the Christian church—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. It is informed, educated, and wise to do so. The point of history in Israel where everyone did what was right in their own eyes because Israel had no king is not the way of conducting the church. Christ is king and has instructed us to baptize believers, and has in now place ever alluded to or commanded that anyone without a credible confession of faith is to be baptized to bear the name of God.

In fact, it would be, and is a violation of God’s third command to not take the Lord’s name in vain. Thus, to place God’s name on a person before they are indeed honoring the Word by faith is breaking that command. Moreover, as union with Christ implies actual union with Christ it is impossible to baptize someone who is not united yet to Christ by faith—at least with intellectual integrity. That is truly what is ignorant, and actually rebellious against God’s Word. It’s truly torturous to see again and again Presbyterian arguments that are so muddy and contrary to the plain meaning of Scripture.